


Did the Stars Align For You or For Me?

by opalescentnight



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, author! minhyun, who knows what seongwu is doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-04 18:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16351814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalescentnight/pseuds/opalescentnight
Summary: Hwang Minhyun, at age 28, is already a best-selling author. He is widely known for his works and is given high praises on his eloquent style. His company, on the other hand, wants to push him. In order for his new thriller novel he's working on to hit big, they believe that he should add romance. Reluctant, he agrees, only to find that he doesn't know how or where to start. The entrance of Ong Seongwu back into his life, however, brings him hope. A rival-turned-friend turns his life around, in more than ways he'd imagined. Although not what he wanted, he's given new ups and downs in his life and a new path to walk down.





	Did the Stars Align For You or For Me?

**Author's Note:**

> prompt #32
> 
> *sweats* I hope whoever wrote this prompt is satisfied with this, and I hope everyone reading this will like it! Personally, I'm not even sure how satisfied I am with this, but I think it's not that bad.
> 
> (Edit: I also wrote 8k at like...2 in the morning and several of my friends can advocate for me because they kept telling me to go to sleep haha. I'm pretty sure there are more mistakes somewhere but I reread it like 5 times while editing and...I felt dizzy after that. oops)

The early traffic of the city can be heard from the top floor. The screeches of tires stopping for the pedestrians, the honking of cars annoying the other drivers. It’s a cycle, going on for a couple of hours every morning and every evening. A loud crack of thunder sounds, bringing heavy rain with it. Below, down on the streets, people are opening up their umbrellas. The first rainfall of the season brings a sudden dread to the population. Summer has truly ended.

Minhyun leans his head against the window, staring at the streets below. He thinks back to one year ago, when he was working on the final installment of his first trilogy. Four years ago, when a publishing company replied to him and bought publishing rights. Five years ago, when he graduated from Yonsei University and escaped from what he thought to be hell.

The four years Minhyun spent at his university were a nightmare. He went in, ambitious, only to come out drained. The amount of time he spent studying to make sure he could maintain his grades. The long hours spent tutoring others because his professors asked him to, and being the obedient model student, he obliged. He was sick and tired, and on the day of graduation, he felt so free. He may have graduated as the top student of his class, but he was ready to run away. He was done.

There was one person in particular that he held a grudge against, and no matter how far he was from university, he could never forget about this one. It was never in Minhyun's character to develop a negative bias for someone, but it had happened. He liked to call this person his rival, although it was not a suitable term as they weren’t academic rivals. Except in literature class. Minhyun loved literature class from the moment he stepped into the classroom. He hated it the moment he was paired with the obnoxiously loud student.

Minhyun remembers calling the student in the middle of the night to finish his part of the assignment, only to get a reply of "Sorry, I was out partying." Minhyun yelled at the student, and the latter started whining but still finished his part. To his surprise, it was not half-assed; in fact, it was done better than his own part.

Minhyun started paying attention to the student, not understanding how this was the same person who had executed a flawless presentation. He played around often, taking around a different person every day. When there were school events (something Minhyun could never commit his time to), he was always there. Perhaps it was the fact that he was so good at serenading others, and he was moved by his words (not that Minhyun would ever admit it). Or it was just him, like a magnet, pulling everyone in.

The year after Minhyun graduated, when he was contacted for publishing rights, he was overjoyed. In a way, it was a sense of accomplishment out of spite. He was always second in his literature class, but this opportunity turned him around. He was succeeding, publishing a book, while the other was nowhere to be found. It was only a year after graduating and he was already getting employed. An unstable job, but employed. Too good to be true, right?

And yet, Hwang Minhyun is still in the industry today. He has already finished a trilogy and is now working on a thriller novel. At age 28, he is earning way more than he needs, but he doesn’t mind. He is living his dream.

Minhyun's phone rings and he walks to his counter and stares at the caller ID. "CEO Yoon" glares in his face. He scowls at the thought of being disturbed in the early morning but picks up anyways. Before he gets to open his mouth, a "We need to talk" comes from the other end and the CEO hangs up. It is unusual hearing that, but he decides to go with it. He packs his laptop with him, carries his cellphone, car keys, and wallet in his pocket, and throws on a trench coat. He had been dressed already but more to keep concentration while working _from home_.

Minhyun arrives at the office later than he intends to and quickly greets the man at the front desk and rushes inside. He strides through the halls, hoping he won’t be yelled at.

"Come in." Minhyun barges into the door, expecting the CEO to be glaring at him while sitting at his desk. Instead, he is by the window, looking out at the heavy rainfall.

"Do you need something, CEO Yoon?" He walks over to him, cautious of the reticent CEO.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. You know I let you call me hyung." He smiles, inviting him to sit down on one of the couches.

"Yes, but-" The CEO shakes his head. Minhyun bites his lip and settles down in one corner of the couch.

"It's fine, really. Anyways, you must know that we need to have a talk." Minhyun nods. "It's about your new novel." He nods again.

"Is there something wrong with it?"

Minhyun hesitates before he speaks. "I can try. It shouldn’t be a problem for me."

"We want some romance."

"Excuse me?"

"Romance, you know, the word that is associated with love."

"Yes, I know, but this is so..." Minhyun is at a loss for words. "You know I have no experience in this field. At all."

Jisung chuckles. "Yes, I do know that. But think of it as a challenge. And many novels include romance as a subplot. This wouldn't be any different."

"Different? This is adding a _genre_ of subplot. Why am I not allowed to stick with thriller only?"

"Audience, Minhyun. We want a larger audience. People are already intrigued by your writing, but many more will want to see more than just action. Just think of how the romance could spice up your novel. The internal swooning, the mental squeals when reading. It's perfect!" Jisung clasps his hands together, giving him a warm smile. Minhyun turns away, scowling.

"Well, it's mandatory. I know you turned in your manuscript early, but I will give you an extension. Come back to me in a month's time and I will see how it goes. Good luck, Minhyun." He escorts him out the door and closes the door before the younger can turn back around and say anything.

Minhyun walks towards his own office, taking larger steps than he normally would. He power walks through the building, the tail of his trench coat flowing behind him. His bangs bounce in front of his eyes and he blows them away. When he reaches his office door, he flings it open and walks through then shuts it behind him. He shrugs off the trench coat he’s been wearing and throws it onto his desk.

It’s the same as it was before, when he first left the house. The clouds are thick and gray again, but it’s no longer raining. The weather is perfect, in a way; it matches his mood. He feels disappointed in himself, for the fact that he agreed to take on the offer but then turned around to give a "no" to his very own boss. He feels betrayed by Jisung, not thinking once that he would demand romance, of all things, from him.

Romance is a genre not made for him, a category that does not belong in his universe. He can’t deal with it, nor has he ever tried to involve himself in it. The closest he has gotten to romance was the one time one of his closest friends, Minki, tried to make a Tinder account for him, but not before he whacked the phone out of his hands and snatched it away before he could try to catch it again. He had gotten a "No fair!" from his friend, but no matter how much he can tolerate his friends, he will never let them interfere in his love life (which is just non-existent).

Minhyun needs help. He desperately needs help, but he doesn’t even know where to start. Outside of his friends, the only people he has ever interacted with are the groups he was put into for projects. Mandatorily. More often than not, he was thrown into groups that required him to do most of the work. He spent a lot of time helping his classmates but never involved himself in others' shenanigans. He wants to take pride in himself and his work, the fact that he was able to execute complex tasks and help his classmates at the same time, but he isn’t sure if the accumulated experience has ever been of help to him.

Minhyun is stuck. For the first time, not the nth time. He racks his brain, scanning to see who could have been or was a romance expert. They would probably be available, right? No one comes to mind-most of the people whom he helped were people who never talked, ones who never reached out for help. He was never one who gave emotional support, but he would make sure that the others could do what they needed to pass. That had been his only job then, but now, he doesn’t even know of anyone in his vicinity that matches the type and neither does he know if anyone would even be willing to help. 

_No, wait._ Minhyun backtracks to his second year of university, when he had been scolding someone for causing a ruckus in the middle of the campus. There had been a guy standing on the platform, singing while throwing roses of various colors at people. He doesn’t remember what they look like, though. The guy was the problem, but he also wasn’t. He was probably doing it for his own entertainment, but everyone flocked to him, staring at him in awe. _That's it._ Minhyun decides that he is going to find this person, bribe them maybe, and get them to assist him in his writing. He can do it. Minhyun, in a month, will wow his CEO. He knows it.

Minhyun leaves the building, heading towards home. The skies haven’t cleared, but the clouds aren’t thick either. He lets out a sigh of relief; he doesn’t want to walk above the surface drenched. On the way, he stops at a small coffee shop to cool down.

It’s a particularly busy day for the small shop. It has started pouring outside again, and the heavy rainfall brings in a large crowd of customers. While the usual long lines wrap around the corner of the street, today, everyone is trying to squeeze into the interior to avoid getting wet. At some point, the number of people in the shop exceeds the capacity, and many are forced out the store. The busy time irks him because he has to wait, but it allows him some time to be distracted before settling down to work again. He arrives at the front of the line thirty minutes in, faster than he expected.

“An iced americano.” Minhyun takes out his card slides it towards the cashier. When he picks it to examine and check his ID, his eyes widen and he looks up to find a glaring Minhyun. _The_ Hwang Minhyun. He puts her head down and goes back to getting everything sorted out as soon as possible. He taps his foot angrily while he’s doing his part, and when he’s done, Minhyun situates himself in a dark corner, as far away from the crowd as he can get.

One minute. Five minutes. Another fifteen passes until he finally hears his name called. As he walks over to get his drink, he forces a pleasant smile onto his face and hopes that it looks real. “Thank you,” he mouths and quickly dashes out of the shop.

Minhyun doesn’t even get far when he hears someone calling him. “Hwang Minhyun!” _It’s just a crazy fan. I’m not in the mood._ “First place Hwang Minhyun!” He freezes. He only knows one person who would call him that. Only one person on Earth would turn a compliment meant for him into an insult and say it in such a mocking manner. It’s the same guy who wrote better than him, from junior high to high school and even haunting him at university, the one he’s always been jealous of and cannot beat no matter how hard he tries. The only person he has ever disliked, despite the lack of harm done to him.

Minhyun turns around, putting that fake smile on again and greets his guest. “Hello, Seongwu. Long time no see.”

Seongwu cackles. “You can stop smiling now. Or maybe you’d like to keep up your image while in public?” He peers around at the empty streets.

“You’re right.” He stops smiling and relaxes his jaw. “I’m just in a bad mood.” Seongwu cocks his head to the side. And he pouts. _Pouts._ They’re 28, supposedly stressing out over whether they’ll get fired from their current job, not trying to act cute. Not that Minhyun is putting in any effort into his expression and the only thing radiating off of him is anger and annoyance.

“So you wanna talk about it?” He has his hands behind his back, like a 5-year-old asking for a lollipop. Like he is _begging_ for Minhyun to just give in.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, about your feelings. Like why you’re in a bad mood.” Minhyun stares at him in disbelief. He wants to scream, but he knows better than to cause a commotion and attract paparazzi.

“Seongwu, I hope you do know that we’re still standing on the sidewalk. In public. As in, anyone could be recording what I am saying right now.”

“So you don’t wanna talk. Got you.”

Minhyun shakes his head. “No, it’s not like that. I’m just not comfortable talking here. I do...want to talk to someone. Someone who could help me.” Seongwu nods along. “Maybe..." Minhyun drifts off. "Do you want to come over to my place and we can have some peace and quiet?” He blurts out.

“Whoa, slow down. I’m not ready for this commitment yet, man. I know you. And you know me. This just isn’t gonna work out.”

Minhyun groans. “I didn’t mean it _that_ way. You’re still as insufferable as you used to be.”

The other chuckles. “I was just joking. We can go to your place if you want, as long as you aren’t bringing me there to murder me without any witnesses around.”

“No, no.” Minhyun shakes his head. “Of course not.”

"Well, then, let's go! What are you waiting for? Paparazzi?"

Minhyun laughs. He turns back to the direction he was previously heading in, Seongwu trailing behind him. Several times, they stop, with Minhyun turning around and Seongwu giving him an innocent look. All of those followed by the dismissal of peculiar behavior and small bursts of laughter.

Minhyun takes Seongwu down the street towards his apartment complex. Once they enter the structure, Seongwu does not hide his awe, gaping at everything he sees. He skips behind Minhyun, who is walking briskly, shaking his shoulder every now and then and points at what he finds interesting. At first, Minhyun turns back, chuckles at the youth Seongwu still has inside him, then gears forward again, but Seongwu doesn’t stop and Minhyun starts shrugging him off, each time more aggressive than the previous. Seongwu discontinues, getting the hint, and follows Minhyun to the elevator and up the building.

They arrive, and Minhyun scans his card. He opens the door, letting Seongwu go in first. The latter glances back, confused, and Minhyun shoos him inside. After he steers Seongwu towards the living room, he leaves him alone, walking into the kitchen to grab a couple of glasses for water.

“So,” Seongwu starts as Minhyun comes back, “how did you land yourself a penthouse?” He's seated himself on the far side of the couch, leaning back into it comfortably.

“Work,” Minhyun mumbles.

“Wow.” Seongwu looks around at the high ceilings and the windows that stretch across one side of the place. “Is there any privacy here?”

Minhyun nods while downing his water and points to the staircase sitting behind him. “Over there.”

Seongwu turns and stares. The staircase Minhyun pointed to swirls upwards, and the hallway on the second floor consists of clean, sleek walls. “Minhyun, this is...”

“Hm?”

“It’s...I’m in awe. By this in general, by how much you’ve changed. Just look. I would've never imagined that you..." Seongwu continues rambling, staring out the windows, as Minhyun's mind drifts elsewhere. He still sees Seongwu's lips moving, but he no longer processes what he’s saying. He is still thinking about what Jisung had said earlier. The edit. The romance. Anger starts to boil but it dies down just as fast as it had started. The disappointment in himself, however, stays. He tells himself that it will be over at some point. He tells himself that he will overcome this without much trouble. He will make it.

"...which was not even my fault." Seongwu looks back to see Minhyun deep in thought. "Hey, Minhyun." He hears him, but he can't bring himself to react. Seongwu rises and walks over to him and shakes him a little. "Hello? Earth to Hwang Minhyun?"

Minhyun looks up, dazed. "Sorry, I haven't been able to concentrate since morning."

"Work?" Minhyun grimaces and sighs. "You can confide in me, you know that? I won't tell anyone, I mean, not that I _have_ anyone to tell."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll tell you, since there's no harm, and none of my friends want to hear about it." Seongwu raises his eyebrows, curious as to why his friends wouldn't want to listen. Minhyun sees the change in expression and says, "They'll bother me and it will follow me all the way to the graveyard."

Seongwu doesn't say anything and just leans back on the couch. Minhyun seats himself on the opposite end, starting with what exactly he is writing.

The story is about a man who has been held captive by the mafia since childhood for a crime his father committed. The character had been given mercy due to his young age, but he becomes of age when he turns 20. The mafia gives him two choices: a) he gets killed or b) he stays alive but he must work for them and be bound to them for eternity. The young man gives into fear and chooses the latter, but he later finds out that he must escape, as they never intended to keep him alive.

Minhyun talks about how the focus of his novel is the journey of the gentleman and how he attempts to escape to save his own life. The character is both witty and cunning but comes across many dead-ends throughout his journey. Along the way, he discovers what crime his father had committed and continues to unveil his past.

Seongwu starts clapping, but Minhyun gives him a look. "I'm not done yet." Seongwu gives him an apologetic smile and lets him continue. "Now, my publisher wants me to add romance. Something about attracting more readers and reaching a wider audience because apparently, everyone likes to read sappy stories about love. Right." He huffs. "You see the image, right? This just _sounds_ like a story of self-discovery. Why do I need to add romance when the whole of the main character's backstory and journey are enough to be intriguing? And I thought I did pretty well and was proud when I sent in the manuscript, but next thing you know, I get a phone call with a curt message saying 'We need to talk' and nothing else. I was given the freedom to write what I wanted for my first few books and it sold well, so why are they completely changing up my style? I don't under-"

"I do." Minhyun turns in shock and glares at Seongwu. "Calm down first. Breathe in, breathe out." Seongwu has him follow along and he reluctantly agrees. "See, that wasn't so bad." He groans, but Seongwu does not stop talking. "It's a challenge. From the company. I know you, remember? You weren't just the best student in the one class we shared, you were also the best student of our year. You are smart and intelligent. You are capable of doing this, which is why the company would ask you to do this in the first place. They want to see how far you can go and how well you can do with a foreign concept. You are definitely good enough, Minhyun. I haven't read what you've written yet, but I can tell that it is already very good. This isn't your average 'You can always do better.' This is a 'Your potential is out of this world" message. So, go out there and blow people's minds."

Minhyun wants to cry. To see the person sitting in front of him being the most encouraging person he has ever met be the same annoying guy he had met in university, irking him until he had to take a three-day break from school. All because he had spent so much time yelling at him to do his work and make sure it was completed on time. His eyes water a little and he has to turn away so Seongwu won't see him in such a state.

Minhyun clears his throat. "I don't know where to start."

"What do you mean?"

"Romance. I don't know anything. I have no experience, no exposure to it. I've never even been on a date before or even really interacted with my type or whatever you guys call it. I just...don't know."

Seongwu laughs. He laughs hard and it takes a few minutes for him to calm down and completely stop. "You...really?" He pauses and starts howling again. "No experience? At all?"

Minhyun shakes his head and sinks into the couch, closing his eyes. "Nothing. At all."

"I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it. You see, it would require you to-"

"I'll do it as long as you're not trying to force me to make a Tinder account."

"No. No Tinder."

"Okay, I'll do it."

"You sure?" Minhyun nods. He doesn't know what has come over him, but he agrees right away, even if it means that he needs to experience hell for the next month. He will do it as long as he can finish the book.

"Let's fake date."

* * *

Minhyun isn't really sure what made him agree to this fake dating thing. The moment he says yes, he regrets it, but then he also tells himself, "Why not?"

Seongwu takes good care of him. Better than he expected. And, in reality, it doesn't really feel like dating. It just feels like best friends hanging out on a daily basis, except that Seongwu is not his best friend. They are not strangers either, just...acquaintances. Yes. They only know each other through obligation, only because they had been in the same project group. They were never friends. They never clicked, only bickered. Now, they are nearing the end of their 20's, and they are getting along in the oddest way possible.

Minhyun has only seen romance in the movies his friends have dragged him to watch. He's seen those moments where the two main characters of interest will accidentally come too close to one another. He's seen those lean-ins for even just a gentle light kiss, the emotions pouring out. He's seen those scenes of dates, where the two would look oh-so-happy just being with each other. There’s nothing of that sort between him and Seongwu. He realizes only after he tries to imagine what romance is that he has never really seen anything of the sort in his life. His friends have dated people before, but he has never once witnessed what real romance is, so it comes as a shock when Seongwu isn’t super cheesy.

Minhyun receives "good morning" and "good night" texts, though. He's asked how he is feeling every day and if he needs any extra coffee. Sometimes, he will forget to reply to Seongwu, but the younger will barge into his penthouse with two coffees in hand. He often ends up staying over at Minhyun's even when Minhyun tries to kick him out. "It's more convenient," he'll say. "I have nothing else to do anyways." Which is definitely true, but Seongwu sometimes turns into a distraction. He will scream out loud (because he knows no one besides Minhyun can hear him) and he will pop into his workroom whenever he feels like it, which is about every five minutes. When he stays up late because he is feeling inspired, Seongwu will make him green tea. "For you. Because I can," he'll say. Sometimes he says, "No reason. I just wanted to."

Contrary to what he had imagined, Minhyun and Seongwu don’t interact much. Besides those little gestures, they rarely spend time conversing with one another. One, because Minhyun stays in his workroom most of the time, and the other, because they don’t have much to talk about. They finished catching up with one another the first day they met, and there is nothing left in common. During their university days, they never hung out in the same groups, nor did they cross paths until the most inevitable moment. Their "relationship" is more of a platonic friends-with-benefits contract.

It's a week into this whole "relationship" thing when Seongwu pops into Minhyun's room around midnight and asks, "Have you ever gone shooting?"

"...No. Why do you ask?" Minhyun looks up from his laptop, the screen illuminating his face.

"I'm going with my friends tomorrow, and I’m taking you with me."

"No. Absolutely not." Minhyun turns his laptop around so that Seongwu can see what is written on it: two lines and nothing else. "I'm stuck again."

"Which is exactly why you should come with us." Seongwu says no more and walks out, shutting it behind him.

The next morning, Minhyun wakes up earlier than usual. _For work,_ he tells himself, and he really does work. He spends about two hours writing, mostly to blow off steam. The stress is accumulating in him again, and he desperately wants to get rid of it. He doesn't write much, but it's definitely more progress than the previous night, which makes him proud of himself. He reads through it after he's run out of ideas, but it looks choppy. All the sentences are dry, and there are no emotions conveyed. It looks terrible.

Minhyun gives up and goes downstairs, only to see Seongwu sleeping soundly on the couch. He tiptoes past him and into the kitchen to start pouring himself a glass of water. Moments later, a sleepy Seongwu walks in, eyes half-closed and hugging a pillow tightly to his chest. He mutters something, but Minhyun can't make out what he's saying. "Come again?"

"What time is it?" He says it a little louder.

"It's seven." Seongwu groans, trudging out.

Minhyun stops him at the door. "Aren't you going to take me shooting?"

"...No?" Seongwu blinks. He stands still for a few seconds, but he seems to wake up after processing what Minhyun said. "Oh shit! We have to be there at eight." He walks out but comes back and tells him to dress up then leaves again.

Minhyun finishes his glass of water and goes upstairs to change. He grabs his phone, keys, and wallet from his nightstand and heads back down. Seongwu is waiting for him, fully dressed. He's dressed stylishly but in a simple manner. While his shirt is loose and baggy, his jeans are tight. Minhyun notes that he isn't holding his phone, nor does he have his wallet on him.

Minhyun knows. "I'm driving." Seongwu beams, nodding in approval. Minhyun shrugs and lets him skip ahead of him. They reach the underground floor and get into Minhyun's car.

Half an hour later, they arrive at the shooting range. As soon as Minhyun turns off the engine, Seongwu hops off and waves to a group far off. They walk towards his friends and start heading into the shooting range. Minhyun lingers behind them, not wanting to join in on their conversation. As they catch up, he stays in the back and scans the place. It’s extremely bright from all the fluorescent lighting, and he has to cover his hears from the occasional screams and shots firing every few seconds.

The group goes in and Minhyun is dragged to the far right by Seongwu. He hands him earplugs and an earmuff. “You’ll need the earmuff definitely. Maybe not the earplugs if you’re alright with it.” Minhyun takes both and Seongwu places a handgun in front of him. “It’s a Colt 1911. It’s easier to use, especially for someone who’s never gone shooting before.” He waves another handgun in his left. “I’m using the .22 pistol. It’s way more accurate, but I don’t need you getting hurt the first time you’re here.”

For the first ten minutes, Minhyun’s aim remains horrible. He barely reaches the 5, and more than half of his bullets don’t even reach the target. It takes a while for him to adjust to the gun, and his aims become closer and closer until he finally makes a bullseye. Another. And another. He starts letting loose and releases his anger through the press on the trigger. It really is thrilling and stress relieving, like Seongwu said. A perfect opportunity. He knows what he wants to write when he gets home.

An hour later, Minhyun receives a tap on the shoulder. He turns around to find one of Seongwu’s shorter friends staring at him. He takes his earmuff and earplugs off to listen. “Hyung said we’re leaving soon, so you should probably clean up.” Minhyun curtly nods and clears his space. He gets lost a couple of times without Seongwu’s guidance but manages with the assistance of the staff.

When Minhyun finishes, he heads for the car and slips into the driver’s seat with Seongwu sliding in moments later. They stare ahead in silence when Seongwu breaks it. “Is it okay if we go into the city? Like, go watch a movie?”

“Sure. Why not?” _No, I want to go home,_ he opposes in his head. _But I’ll do it for you._

Throughout the drive, Minhyun stays silent as Seongwu starts talking again. He talks about his friends, babbling on about miscellaneous facts. The first one is a year younger, even though his broad shoulders and overall nice physique makes him look older than the rather thin Seongwu. He dances in his free time and is currently doing stem cell research. The other two are both four years younger. Seongwu says that one of them is way louder but Minhyun thinks they’re equally loud. Obnoxiously loud, just like Seongwu used to be. The two both work in the entertainment industry, one as a scriptwriter and the other as an actor. “A growing one,” Seongwu adds. He talks about how the four of them spent a lot of time together during his days in a dance crew but that they drifted apart after everyone settled down.

_Except for you,_ Minhyun notes but doesn’t say it aloud. He lets Seongwu continue talking. Seongwu starts on how he picked up photography as a hobby, which is why he forces Minhyun to pose for him every other second. He says he’ll show him all that he’s taken when they get back later, and he changes the topic and starts talking about university. This time, it’s about his antics.

“You know, you used to yell at me a lot when we were in our second year. I was just enjoying my time by expressing myself but you really had to just stomp over to me and tell me to shut up. That’s why I tried to annoy you when we were put in the same group and-“

“Wait, that was you?” Minhyun starts. “You’re both the annoying guy who was obnoxiously loud in the middle of the school and the one who always did his work last minute?” he wants to pull over and start yelling at Seongwu, but unfortunately, they are on the highway.

“Well, yes. That’s why I hated you so much and tried to infuriate you every moment I could. It really-“

“I’m so glad I found you.” He really is. He found who he was looking for without even realizing it, not that the Seongwu he knew of before wasn’t of any help.

“Huh? Minhyun, are you okay?”

Minhyun doesn’t answer his questions and continues from where he left off. “I was actually thinking about this a week ago. The guy who made me want to pull out all my hair. God, you were an annoying prick, but I really needed you. I saw you holding hands with a different person every time, and thought, ‘Wow, he must be experienced.’ Except, it now sounds rather stupid considering none of your relationships lasted long.”

“Flings. They’re flings, Minhyun. It was fun, okay? I was enjoying my time.” He looks out the window and adds in a quiet voice, “Although I was a huge jerk for leading on so many people.”

“Oh? You were leading people on?” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Well...”

“Go on.” Minhyun urges him to continue, but he doesn’t respond.

“The person I was interested in never looked my way. So no point in trying,” he mumbles.

Minhyun wants to know more, but they’ve arrived at the movie theatre. “Is there anything in particular that you want to watch? I don’t really pay attention to what comes out so you can pick.” Seongwu tells him not to go in line with him, to which Minhyun refuses. He insists, telling Minhyun that he can just give him the money later. Minhyun ends up complying and stands to the side as he watches the line move slowly.

When Seongwu finishes, he walks over to Minhyun and hands him the tickets. He leans in and whispers, “We’re movie hopping, so it doesn’t really matter which tickets we’re buying.” Minhyun stares at him in disbelief and Seongwu tells him to shut up, saying nothing at the theatres is better than movie hopping.

Minhyun and Seongwu end up watching three movies without getting caught. The theatre happens to be relatively empty for the day, and there isn’t any assigned seating. Minhyun remembers that the first one they watched is an action movie, and that’s only because he was actually paying attention. He’s pretty sure he fell asleep during the next two, although he has a vague idea of what the plots were.

The two of them are fatigued after the third movie, and Minhyun doesn’t even ask, just drives the both of them home. Along the way, Seongwu falls asleep and only wakes up when they arrive back in the parking lot.

“Seongwu, do you want to eat something?” He shakes his head and gets out of the car.

They head up, and Minhyun drags him into the room next to his. He pushes him down gently, exits, and comes back with extra pillows and blankets. Seongwu grabs a pillow and shoves it under his head and hugs the rest as Minhyun covers him with the blankets. “Come to my room if you need anything, okay?” Seongwu hums, already turning his back to Minhyun. He’s close to falling asleep.

Minhyun leaves for his own room and changes into a t-shirt and shorts. He heads back into his workroom and sits down in his office chair. He opens up his laptop and begins writing again. This time, he writes without much trouble, the words flowing out without pause. He doesn’t notice how much he’s written until his hands start becoming sore from typing for so long.

While he is taking a break, Minhyun thinks about the past week. How, even though it has only been a week, Seongwu treats him so nicely. Minhyun is too lazy to really write most of the time, but whenever he’s stuck, Seongwu knows how to aid him so that he can overcome that block. Seongwu, so effortlessly, accommodates him in various ways. He doesn’t even try. He just…does it. By being his usual self.

Minhyun is more than grateful for bumping into Seongwu a week ago. He doesn’t want to imagine where he would be if he hadn’t met Seongwu that day. He would probably still be sulking, or perhaps he would have locked himself in his house for a week and not come out and not pick up any phone calls. Not that he _has_ been picking up phone calls from anyone because that is his policy.

While he is seriously writing, he does not interact with anyone, not even his closest friends or his boss, until he is done. Until he is ready and satisfied. Usually, he ignores everyone and has his alone time for long periods of time. For the first time ever, he has someone with him, that someone being Seongwu, and he hates admitting it but he would never have progressed this fast without Seongwu.

Minhyun reads over what he’s written after his break and fixes a few minor mistakes here and there. For the most part, though, he is satisfied with how it has turned out and is glad the flow is smooth, unlike what he had drafted in the morning.

The next day, Minhyun decides to drop by the office and report to his editor. He dresses in a simple outfit and throws on a raincoat. Seongwu is still asleep, but he doesn’t wake him up. He heads out alone, into the again depressing weather.

The somber weather doesn’t stop Minhyun from smiling proudly. He’s proud of what he’s composed so far, and he knows that both his boss and his editor will be proud.

Minhyun doesn’t bother knocking on the door, just walks in without warning. Luckily, his editor isn’t mad, just surprised. He takes a USB drive out of his pocket and waves it at him. “Look, I’ve got something for you.” His editor doesn’t say much, just nods to the space in front of him and tells him to place it there. He tells him that he’ll look over it within the next few hours and that he’ll get back to Minhyun by the end of the day.

Minhyun is excited. Animated, even. The has overcome the challenge they gave him, and he is confident that he will amaze the general public when his novel comes out.

Minhyun’s editor, Ha Sungwoon, gets back to him earlier than he expected. He is at home when he receives an email at around eight in the evening. He clicks on it, eager to read about what he thinks, only to be discouraged by the response. “There is too much romance, and the thriller part is now out of focus. Please change it so that the romance is tied in as a subplot, not the other way around.” The brevity scares him a little. The words, just like his editor himself, are intimidating.

Minhyun doesn’t know what to do. He had been so confident in what he’d written, but it’s now being shot down by his editor. He wishes he wasn’t feeling so assured of his abilities because it’s only landed him back where he’s started. Another redo to be made.

Minhyun doesn’t stop sulking after the day he gets the email. He rants to Seongwu for an hour when he wakes up, but after that, he just stops talking. He doesn’t work on his novel for the next two weeks. He paces around the house until Seongwu tells him to stop overthinking, then he goes upstairs and shuts himself in his own room. He doesn’t purposely avoid Seongwu, but he also doesn’t want to face him. He spends a lot of his time taking naps, and right after the nap, he starts making food. Sometimes he’ll wake up at three in the morning, and he will start making a meal then. Because he’s hungry.

Minhyun spends his days lazily and ends up ruining his sleep schedule. Instead of working, he spends his free time cleaning the house. Even if one section is already dusted, he will continue to clean it. He just doesn’t stop. He cleans the entire house because he’s bored and refuses to listen to whatever Seongwu says to him. Until the day Seongwu barges into his room and shoves an outfit at him for him to change into.

“We’re going to a party tonight. Get dressed.” Minhyun doesn’t look at it, but he knows he’ll be disgusted if he gives it a glance.

“No.” Minhyun pushes the outfit back to Seongwu and jumps into his bed.

“Minhyun, please.” Seongwu walks over to him and sits down on the edge of the bed. “Maybe it can help you to take your mind off of some things.”

“…Fine.” Minhyun could never say no to a pouting baby. He shoos Seongwu out of his room and dresses up for the occasion. He feels uncomfortable in the outfit. It’s disgustingly flashy, the opposite of what he likes.

When Minhyun comes out of his room, he lets Seongwu drag him out of his house and into the elevator. They take their usual path towards the parking lot, this time with Seongwu in front. Minhyun trudges from the main lobby to his car. He already wants to go home.

Seongwu snatches the car keys from Minhyun’s hands and slips into the driver’s seat. Minhyun sits on the other side, and for the first time, looks at what Seongwu is wearing. He’s wearing a rather plain suit, but it fits him well.

“You look nice,” he comments.

“As do you, Minhyun.” Minhyun gives him a weak smile. He thinks his outfit is tacky, but he trusts Seongwu to not make him look horrendous.

The venue isn’t far, but there is heavy traffic along the way. The ten-minute drive turns into a half-hour one, and they end up being later than they intended to be.

Even though Seongwu is socializing all throughout, he never leaves Minhyun’s side. If someone wants to pull him to the side to talk, he will bring Minhyun with him. If he is just having a casual conversation with someone, he will make sure to mention that Minhyun came with him. No matter where he is and what he does, Minhyun is there. Physically, but not in spirit.

Minhyun is drained from following Seongwu around. He can’t even imagine what state he would be in if he were the one socializing, and he tells himself that he is lucky for not having to do so. Even so, just being with Seongwu is tiring because he talks to everyone. He has to concentrate and listen in on the conversation then pretend to be friendly and nod along. Even if he isn’t approaching anyone, there will always be someone flocking to him. He wonders how Seongwu is still his energetic self after three hours of interacting with so many different people, but he assumes that it’s probably something that he’s used to.

Minhyun excuses himself to go to the restroom and stays in there for ten minutes. No one else comes in, luckily, so he takes a breather during the time he has to himself. It feels stuffy, and although it isn’t a club of any sort, the number of conversations going on drown out the already thundering music. It’s a nightmare for him. He feels suffocated and he just wants to go back home.

Minhyun exits the bathroom and walks around, looking for Seongwu. He’s not where he left him, and he isn’t with anyone he’d seen him previously with. He walks around several times before he finds him in the back corner of the room.

Seongwu is evidently busier than he said he would be, and he’s clearly enjoying his time more now that Minhyun isn’t by his side. This isn’t a place for people like Minhyun. He doesn’t need to stay.

_Fuck it._ He turns around and walks the other way. _This relationship was never even real, anyways._

* * *

Minhyun reaches home and heads directly into his bedroom, not sure what he feels after seeing Seongwu making out with someone else.

Empty? It’s not like they were dating to begin with. They’d already clarified that it was fake, that it was only for a month. It was to help Minhyun gain inspiration for what to write, as he’d never had a taste of romance before. But their relationship did not feel like romance either. It wasn’t extravagant in a sense but rather warm and loving. Closer than friends…but not quite there yet.

Lonely? Minhyun had been lonely his whole life, so that was out of the question. More than half of his time was spent at home, ignoring his friends’ calls. They were used to it, but they still bothered him occasionally. It wasn’t that he purposely stayed away from his friends, but they were a huge distraction when he was working. He’d once invited them over while he was working, hoping that they would be wandering around the house and touching everything they found interesting, which was definitely not the case. He’d found it peculiar, considering they excelled in destroying his prized possessions. Instead, that day, they’d resorted to bothering him a different way, being disruptive and intruding his workroom. That was the first and last time his friends were at his house, and he never invited them again.

Minhyun figures it’s because Seongwu is a source of change. He broke his routine, and he was even able to drag Minhyun out, something that none of his friends had ever been able to do. But then, why does he care so much?

_It’s because he helped me understand what romance was. I probably would have been stuck until the deadline came, and I would be rushing to pull something out of myself the day before it was due._ Minhyun realizes that he doesn’t mind Seongwu’s company. He doesn’t mind when Seongwu is obnoxiously loud, nor when he disturbs him when he’s trying to concentrate. He loves it, actually. He likes being cared for, contrary to being the babysitter amongst his friends. He likes that Seongwu checks in on him day and night, and when he smiles, he is the most beautiful-

Minhyun shuts down these outer thoughts just as quickly as they came in, but they don’t go away. The more he tries to push it away, the faster they come back. He starts registering the fact that he doesn’t just like Seongwu as company. There’s something more. Something he’s never felt.

“I’m in love,” Minhyun says aloud. “I love Seongwu, and I’m in love with him,” he tells himself. He continues the rest in his head as he ducks under his covers. _I love him so much I would die for him. I want to hold his hands as we walk on the streets. I want to hug him for as long as I can without having to let go with regret. I want him to be who I first see when I wake up and the last before he goes to sleep._ Minhyun wishes he could tell Seongwu this, but he the idea quickly flies out the window.

Minhyun gets out of bed and heads to his workroom, a few doors down. He turns on his laptop and starts writing again. He’s motivated.

This time, he changes direction. The sappiness that existed is taken out, replaced by the subtlety of romance. He ties it in as a daily life occurrence, making sure that the action stays as the main focus. He keeps his main character level-headed, never being swayed to the point of falling into a trap. The love interest is an additional pillar of support, one who becomes precious to the main character. Just like Seongwu is to Minhyun.

He finishes up, and submits it to his editor yet again and winces when he remembers he didn’t do grammar check. It’s okay, though, because he’ll understand why Minhyun forgot to do it. He will be able to sense the feelings Minhyun poured into his new draft, and he will know why exactly.

Minhyun turns off the laptop, along with the lights, and heads back into his bedroom. He is about to crawl into bed when he hears the shuffling of footsteps come closer and closer. He grabs a hanger, in a ready stance by the door.

“Hey, Minhyun?” He drops the hanger and opens the door slowly. It’s Seongwu, looking pitiful, drenched from the rain. He opens the door wider and pulls Seongwu in.

“Oh my god, why are you like this?” Minhyun steers him towards the bathroom, grabbing some spare clothes along the way. “Don’t you have a car? Didn’t you drive here?”

Seongwu sniffles. “Yes, but they wouldn’t let me in. They said that I wasn’t the owner of the house and that I couldn’t park my car there because you never accept people in. They said I could park my car elsewhere and that they would let me in when I walked back.”

Minhyun nods in concern, helping Seongwu to undress. He allows Seongwu to continue complaining about the security, and that for the times he’s been seen with him, he should be allowed in even if Minhyun has a no stranger policy. Minhyun looks at Seongwu when he finishes, noticing how he’s pouting. _Cute._ He’s like a big baby.

Minhyun forces Seongwu to stand still in front of the mirror as he dries his hair and when he finishes, pulls Seongwu with him to his bed. He tucks Seongwu in and crawls into bed from the other side. They face each other, staring but not saying a word. Seongwu speaks first, squirming from the prolonged silence.

“Minhyun, I don’t want to fake date anymore.” Minhyun blinks, unsure of what to say. “It’s tiring. I like you, and this really, really hurts for me. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Okay,” Minhyun says coolly. Inside, he panics. He did not expect Seongwu to confess.

Seongwu’s eyes widen. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” Minhyun smiles. “Let’s date for real.”

“Wait, really?” Seongwu grabs Minhyun’s hands and squeezes them. “For real? Really?”

Minhyun laughs and nods. “Yes, really. You can accompany me to the book launch and I’ll even introduce you to all my friends.”

“But I’m jobless. My status…what are people going to say?”

Minhyun thinks for a moment. “I’ll tell the publishing company to sign you. You can write your excessively sentimental poems and have the whole world read it.” He chuckles at the thought, Seongwu serenading the whole world once again.

“They’ll sign me?”

“Why not, if they signed me? You’re better than me, anyways.” His tone becomes slightly bitter.

Seongwu snickers. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? That I’m better than you at something.”

Minhyun sticks his tongue out at Seongwu and pulls him closer so that Seongwu’s face is buried in his chest. “Let’s sleep, yeah?” And the two of them fall into a deep sleep, side by side.

The next morning, Minhyun wakes up, smiling at Seongwu who’s still lying on top of him. He gently moves him and luckily, doesn’t wake him up. Minhyun tiptoes to his room workroom to check his email. He clicks on the newest one, which is from Sungwoon. “Nice work.” He lets out a sigh of relief. He scans the rest and notes that Sungwoon did, indeed, notice the minor grammar errors and that he’s excused this time, considering the drastic change of the novel (for the better).

“Seongwu!” Minhyun yells from his workroom, then realizes that he’s probably still asleep. He runs out to wake Seongwu up. “Seongwu,” he says gently as he reaches the bedside, shaking him up. “I have good news.”

“What is it?” Seongwu slowly opens his eyes and stares at the glowing Minhyun.

“My novel. It’s almost completed. I got it approved, and now I just have to do some minor edits.”

Seongwu pulls him down and hugs him tightly. “I’m proud of you.” He ends up going back to sleep as Minhyun lies next to him, smiling at his new _real_ relationship.

A week later, Minhyun’s friends decide that having a party to celebrate his book release is a good idea, and he ends up inviting his friends to his house because he doesn’t want to go out. It’s his turn to do all the talking, with Seongwu next to him watching. One by one, his friends start wandering off to explore his house. He yells at them to not break anything and walks into the kitchen with Seongwu.

A few minutes later, Jisung comes in and congratulates him. They talk about his writing process, which Minhyun shares and happily drags Seongwu over. “My muse,” he says, and Seongwu looks down in embarrassment.

“Hello,” he says awkwardly. Jisung smiles. Seongwu turns to Minhyun for help but he isn’t paying attention.

“Hyung, we can sign him.”

“Oh?” Jisung sounds slightly concerned at such a sudden request. The company can’t just sign anyone.

Minhyun nods. “He’s actually better than me, although he writes more poetry than prose.”

“We’ll think about it. We could always use more talent.” Jisung waves and heads out, leaving the two of them alone.

“Did you really have to do that?”

“Yes, of course.” Minhyun takes Seongwu’s hands in his and caresses them. “You won’t be jobless after this. I promise.”

Seongwu furrows his eyebrows. “But he said that they’ll think about it. How is that a definite promise, Minhyun?”

“Because I believe in you, and he will definitely like your works. Plus, why not? He’s right. We’re definitely missing talent. I’m the first one they signed, but they haven’t found anyone else since.”

The younger nods slowly in understanding and sighs. “Okay. I trust you.”

Minhyun pulls him in and hugs him tight. “You’ll definitely be accepted. If I love your works, then so will they.” Seongwu starts sobbing into his shoulder, shaking as he grips onto him tightly.

“So, Minhyun. Do you think this is fate?” He puts his chin on Minhyun’s shoulder and snakes his arms around his waist.

“I don’t know.”

“You know what I think?” He whispers.

“Hm?”

“The stars aligned and that’s why we’re here.”

Minhyun chuckles and ruffles Seongwu’s hair. “Yes, the stars aligned for the both of us.”

**Author's Note:**

> uhhh thank you for reading...? relieved that you've made it this far
> 
> my twitter and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/YuErsTruly) for you to yell at me, complain, be nice, or whatever it is you want to do...??


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